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Offscreen Inertia: Difference between revisions
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Offscreen Inertia is that, if there are no strong indications otherwise, viewers can never really be sure that a character ever stops doing the last thing they were ''seen'' doing. Ignorable, except when what the character was doing was memorable, noteworthy, or disturbing.
This is [
Often the reason children find [[Nightmare Fuel]] in "innocent" things, and if combined with [[Fridge Logic]], can have the same result in adults. Also a prime source of [[What Happened to The Mouse?]], which can be [[Lampshade Hanging|acknowledged]] with a [[Brick Joke]].
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A particular, porn associated version of this where the porn doesn't end where the story does, is called [[No End In Sight]]. If deliberately invoked as a [[Fate Worse Than Death]], it's [[And I Must Scream]]. See also [[Tailor-Made Prison]], [[Rule of Perception]].
May be a [[Bolivian Army Cliffhanger]] (or, more optimistically, [[And the Adventure Continues]]). See also [[Black Screen of Death]]. The [[Yeah! Shot]] is a much more optimistic variant.
{{examples}}
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* This is played with in ''[[A Series of Unfortunate Events]]'' with the people on the balloon, and both the characters and the audience are unsure if they ever get down for a while.
** Done multiple times as well in ''The End'', with both {{spoiler|those on the raft--although they're implied to survive--and the very end: we don't know what became of the Baudelaires after they left the island.}}
* [
** In [http://filmgarmott.blogspot.com/2009/06/discourager-of-hesitancy-by-frank.html the sequel], people in a village who have heard ''of'' the event request that a visitor who was there tell them which the hero chose; he makes it clear that a choice was, in fact, made. The whole thing sets the stage for another one, though. When pressed, the visitor presents a similar tale of a seemingly-impossible choice to the crowd, then says when they solve that one, he'll tell them what the Hero of the first story chose...and the story ends while they're considering it.
* ''[[The Fantastic Mr. Fox]]'' actually has this in-universe. The animals are hiding out underground while the farmers guard their main escape route, and find it's actually quite comfortable. They decide to stay.
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* In "The Blind Banker" episode of ''[[Sherlock (TV)|Sherlock]]'', John invokes this trope on Sherlock. However, while John believes Sherlock hasn't moved in the intervening time, a flashback reveals that {{spoiler|Sherlock in fact has fought and defeated a mysterious sword-wielding intruder while John was out}}.
* Done by one particularly hilarious edit in ''[[Survivor]] Thailand''. A few people complain about Helen never shutting up about various recipes, after which we see her doing just that...and then cut to nighttime where she's standing in about the same spot and talking about more recipes, giving the distinct impression that she's been standing there doing this for hours.
* On the [[DVD Commentary]] for the ''[[
** Back in the 1970s, some complaints about the serial ''The Deadly Assassin'' concerned the episode cliffhanger that freezes on a shot of the Doctor drowning - some parents were apparently worried their kids would think the Doctor was underwater suffering for the whole week.
** Thanks to a recent episode, {{spoiler|Hitler is now permanently stuck in a cupboard.}} History does tell us otherwise, but this effect is still there.
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* In ''[[Half Life]] 2'', the Ravenholm level. Father Grigori helps you through the level, and then sends you into the mines. He explains that he must stay behind, to look after his flock, which has grown restless. By which he means, he must continue shotgunning his headcrab-controlled congregation. As you enter the door to the mines, he's there in the cemetery, firing his shotgun and laughing. Even if you go back, he's still there, firing his shotgun, and laughing, firing his shotgun, laughing... there's a good chance he'll also be either surrounded by fire or ON fire at this time.
** The end of ''Opposing Force'': {{spoiler|after a brief congratulatory speech from G-man, Shephard is left on board an Osprey flying through star-filled void... forever.}}
* In the ending of ''[[Lufia II]]'', we're treated to the entire cast, in their respective homes, waiting for {{spoiler|Maxim and Selan to come home safely, never believing that they're actually dead even though the player sees them die}}. As far as we know, they never stop waiting. {{spoiler|At least until the game was remade fifteen years later. The hidden [[New Game
* The hilarious ending of [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7odI26GpJY this trailer] for ''[[Portal 2 (Video Game)|Portal 2]]'' featuring the "Pneumatic Diversity Vent".
** The Portal series as a whole seems fond of this trope. Portal 1 ends with {{spoiler|Chell passing out in a half-destroyed part of the facility}}; Portal 2 starts with {{spoiler|Chell ''[[Human Popsicle|waking up]]'' in a half-destroyed part of the facility}} and at the end, {{spoiler|she's tossed into an empty field in the middle of nowhere, with no plan for finding her way to anywhere else}}. Plus, [[G La DOS]] tells the player in the second game that she [[Fate Worse Than Death|was forced to relive her defeat]] (right at the end of the first game) over and over until you returned, apparently because no further plot was available.
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* Any of the many classic games which feature [[Bottomless Pits]] as obstacles. Especially if you are on your last life when you fall in one. Gotta assume your character keeps falling until you next boot up the game.
* [[Played With]] in the original ''[[Mass Effect]]'' game: The dialogue you had with one of the party members, Liara, varies greatly depending on how long it takes you to get around to rescuing and recruiting her, due to her evidently spending the whole time {{spoiler|stuck floating in mid-air due to tripping a Prothean security system.}}
** Among the myriad other issues fans had with the ending of [[Mass Effect 3]], the fate of the Normandy and her crew, combined with [[Inferred Holocaust]], is this. {{spoiler|The game has drilled it home hard that there is an incompatibility between races of differing [
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[[Category:Ending Tropes]]
[[Category:Offscreen Inertia]]
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